Speech or voice technology, in the form of speech recognition, is used in a variety of different environments to facilitate the completion of work or various tasks. One example of a specific use for a voice-directed system is the direction of a worker to perform various tasks and to collect data associated with the task execution.
In a typical voice-directed work system, the worker wears a mobile computer having voice or speech capabilities. The computer is worn on the body of a user, such as at their waist, and a headset device connects to the mobile computer, such as with a cable or possibly in a wireless fashion. In another embodiment, the mobile computer might be implemented directly in the headset. The headset includes one or more speakers for playing voice and speech instructions and other audio outputs that are generated or synthesized by the mobile computer to direct the work of the user and to confirm the spoken words of the user. The headset also has a microphone for capturing the speech inputs of the user to determine the commands spoken by the user and to allow the entry of data using the user's speech and speech recognition. Through the headset and speech recognition and text-to-speech capabilities of the mobile computer, workers are able to receive voice instructions or questions about their tasks, to receive information about their tasks, to ask and answer questions, to report the progress of their tasks, and to report various working conditions, for example.
The mobile and/or wearable computers allow the users that wear or use them to maintain mobility at a worksite, while providing the users with desirable computing and data-processing functions. Generally, such mobile computers often provide a wireless communication link to a larger, more centralized computer system that directs the work activities of a user within a system and processes any user speech inputs, such as collected data, in order to facilitate the work. An overall integrated system may utilize a central system that runs a variety of programs, such as a program for directing a plurality of mobile computers and their users in their day-to-day tasks. The users perform manual tasks and enter data according to voice instructions and information they receive from the central system, via the mobile computers. This process is generally referred to as voice-directed work as the user takes specific direction from the central system and their computer like they might take direction from a manager or supervisor or from reading a work order or to-do list.
The mobile computers provide a significant efficiency in the performance of a user's tasks. Specifically, using such mobile computers, the work is done virtually hands-free without equipment to juggle or paperwork to carry around. However, while existing speech systems provide hands-free operations, voice-directed work may be overly structured for some users and for some work environments. Various work environments require that the worker know what they are doing in any particular task, and thus they do not have to be told how to specifically perform a particular task or what order to handle multiple tasks. Directing work in those environments in an automatic fashion, as is the case with typical voice-directed work, is not suitable and can be overbearing.
One such environment that requires greater worker flexibility is the work environment in a nursing home or assisted living facility. In such facilities, nurses create care plans for all of the residents, and the care plans define the different tasks to be performed by the nurses or by certified nursing assistants (“CNAs”) or other care providers for the residents. In particular, each CNA, for example, has to be aware of and accountable for the tasks in the care plans of the residents that are assigned by the nurses to that CNA. Generally, the CNAs know how to perform the various tasks, such as bathing a resident, and do not need to be told by the central system how to perform the task. Furthermore, the CNA may also control the order in which they choose to address a multitude of tasks and thus take advantage of certain efficiencies in their workflow. The workflow will often depend upon the CNAs environment, their location, the urgency of the task and various other factors, and thus they have great flexibility in performing their work. For example, a CNA may want to first take the vitals of an assigned resident if the CNA has immediate access to the proper equipment for taking the vitals, and then bathe the resident. Or vice versa.
Therefore, the rigid approach of traditional voice-directed work environments, while suitable for some work, would not be suitable in a resident or patient care environment. In fact, the CNA is more likely to be hindered by a computer or device that rigidly directs the CNA to perform their tasks in a certain order or to ignore their own judgment with respect to an efficient workflow.
Furthermore, in traditional voice-directed work, the back and forth of the speech is usually constant as the worker is directed to a task, confirms completion of the task and then is immediately directed to the next task. The central system controls the dialog and thus, to some extent, controls the worker. As may be appreciated, in a patient or resident care facility, a CNA or other worker will often be speaking with the resident or other staff in the course of their day. As such, it would be disruptive to have to constantly be interfacing with an aggressive voice-directed system while also trying to converse with another person. Furthermore, many of the residents in such facilities are older and may find it disturbing and confusing when their CNA or other attendee has to speak at inappropriate times to maintain their workflow because the voice-directed system is controlling the dialog.
A voice assistant system has been developed for assisting CNAs and other care providers implementing a speech dialog. The AccuNurse® Program, available from Vocollect Healthcare Systems, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pa., provides a speech-based system to assist the care provider in implementing care plans for residents in care facilities. Such a system is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/536,696 entitled “Voice Assistant System”. While such a system provides a desirable relationship between the care provider and the speech dialog, there is a further desire to improve on such a system to make it less intrusive or disruptive for the care provider and resident. Particularly, since the care provider will be speaking to the system in the presence of a resident for entering information and data into the system, certain new situations may be disturbing or confusing to a resident or may appear to be impersonal with respect to the care provided. Therefore, a need exists to improve upon the system in certain situations to mitigate any confusion or undesirable experiences by a resident.
A need therefore exists to further improve existing systems and still facilitate a more efficient work environment without being overly rigid and overly domineering. There is further a need for maintaining periods of silence at certain times while still being able to proceed with tasks and provide care. Still further, there is a need to ensure that the dignity of the resident is respected and confusion avoided in providing speech-assisted care.